EP0565436B1 - Wiperarm - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the field of wipers, and more particularly relates to a wiper arm for a motor vehicle of the type disclosed in GB-A-2 188 537.

There are known wiper arms comprising a drive head on which a brush holder is articulated, said brush holder carrying a brush provided with a squeegee suitable for coming into contact with a surface to be wiped.

These arms further comprise an elastic system interposed between the brush holder and the drive head so as to press, during the operation of the wiper, the squeegee on the surface to be wiped.

On certain vehicles fitted with a wiper mounted on the rear window, the blade is fixedly attached to the arm and constitutes what a person skilled in the art commonly calls an integral brush-arm (BBI).

On this type of wiper arm, the brush holder is also fixedly attached to the drive head and to the elastic system.

Thus, in the event of wear of the brush, an integral brush-arm according to the prior art has the drawback of requiring the complete replacement of the arm, drive head included.

In addition, on certain types of wiper, the drive head is coupled to a wiper drive shaft via a screw and nut connection, and a user wishing to perform the replacement of the arm must be provided with an appropriate tool, which is not always immediately available.

GB-A-2 188 537 has proposed a wiper arm comprising a drive head capable of being rotated about a drive axis, a brush holder articulated on said head about a deflection axis perpendicular to said drive axis, supporting a brush provided with a squeegee intended to come into contact with a surface to be wiped, an elastic system interposed between the brush holder and the drive head, suitable for pressing the squeegee on said surface, the brush holder being detachably connected to the elastic system and to the drive head. The elastic system comprises a spring working in traction, hooked at one end to the drive head and at the other end to the brush holder. This known wiper arm has the disadvantage that the spring must be unhooked in order to be able to replace the brush holder.

US Pat. No. 2,071,310 has proposed a wiper arm comprising a brush holder driven in rotation by a curved end of a drive shaft. The brush holder comprises a casing held in place on said curved end by a spring threaded on the latter and working in compression. The spring is supported at one end on the drive shaft and acts at the other end on an L-shaped part, engaged on the curved end of the drive shaft and having pins engaging in bayonet slots in the housing. This wiper arm, which is of an old type, does not allow a significant angular movement of the brush holder to match the curvature of the surface to be wiped and is not suitable for use on modern vehicles, for which the surfaces to be wiped can have a significant curvature. In addition, replacing the brush holder requires manually disengaging the pins from the bayonet slots and the operator performing the change of the brush holder must use both hands, one to hold the brush holder and the other to move the L-shaped piece.

GB-A-2 231 780 has proposed a wiper arm comprising an elastic system incorporating a spring working in compression and mounted on a spring-guide rod articulated on the drive head. However, in this known wiper arm, the brush holder is riveted to the drive head and the replacement of the brush holder cannot be carried out easily without the aid of a tool.

The object of the present invention is to propose a wiper arm which overcomes the drawbacks of known wiper arms, and in particular a wiper arm, the replacement of the wiper blade of which can easily be carried out. one hand. More particularly, the subject of the invention is a wiper arm of the type comprising a drive head capable of being driven in rotation about a drive axis, a brush holder articulated on said head. drive, supporting a brush provided with a squeegee intended to come into contact with a surface to be wiped, an elastic system interposed between the brush holder and the drive head, adapted to press the squeegee on said surface, the holder broom being detachably connected to the elastic system and to the drive head, the elastic system comprising a spring.

Characteristically of the invention, which relates to an arm of the type disclosed in GB-A-2 188 537, the spring works in compression and is engaged on a spring guide rod articulated on the drive head around a transverse axis parallel to the axis of movement, the transverse axis being fixed relative to the drive head.

Thus, in the invention, the drive head advantageously remains in place when replacing the brush holder and its associated brush, and the user performing this operation no longer needs any tools. In addition, by replacing only the brush and brush holder, the cost of the spare part is reduced significantly.

Preferably, the elastic system is fixedly attached to the drive head.

The spring guide rod advantageously comprises an elongated cylindrical body, extended at one end by a base articulated on the drive head around a transverse axis parallel to the axis of movement, said cylindrical body being engaged at the other end in a housing provided on a partition carried by the brush holder, the spring resting at one end on one face of the base and at the other end on one face of the partition.

Preferably, the transverse axis of the articulation of the base on the drive head is further from the drive axis than is the axis of movement.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the brush holder has an inverted "U" section comprising two lateral wings, extended at one end in the direction of the drive head by two legs carrying a transverse journal, suitable for serve as a pivot at the articulation between the brush holder and the drive head around said axis of movement.

According to another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the drive head comprises a sole provided with a bore suitable for receiving a drive shaft, extended in the direction of the brush holder by a spout comprising a groove opening opposite of the drive axis, intended to receive said transverse journal.

A wiper arm according to the invention advantageously equips a rear window of a motor vehicle.

• la figure 1 est une coupe longitudinale partielle d'un bras d'essuie-glace conforme à l'invention,
• la figure 2 est une vue partielle du porte-balai selon le trait de coupe II-II de la figure 1,
• la figure 3 est une vue de côté, partielle, d'un bras d'essuie-glace conforme à la figure 1,
• la figure 4 est une vue en perspective schématique de la tête d'entraînement,
• la figure 5 est une vue selon le trait de coupe V-V de la figure 1,
• la figure 6 est une vue selon le trait de coupe VI-VI de la figure 1.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear on reading the detailed description which follows, which does not limit the invention, and in the light of the accompanying drawing in which:

• FIG. 1 is a partial longitudinal section of a wiper arm according to the invention,
• FIG. 2 is a partial view of the brush holder according to the section line II-II of FIG. 1,
• FIG. 3 is a partial side view of a wiper arm in accordance with FIG. 1,
• FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the drive head,
• FIG. 5 is a view along the section line VV of FIG. 1,
• FIG. 6 is a view along the section line VI-VI of FIG. 1.

There is shown in Figure 1 in partial longitudinal section a wiper arm according to the invention. The arm, referenced 100 as a whole, comprises at its base a drive head 200 capable of being coupled to drive means known in themselves, and not shown, to drive it in rotation around a drive axis E. The axis E is contained in the cutting plane of FIG. 1. The arm 100 comprises a brush holder 300 extending longitudinally from the drive head 200 in the direction of a longitudinal axis L, also contained in the plane of the section in FIG. 1.

The drive head 200 can be coupled to the drive means in many ways known to those skilled in the art. Preferably, the drive head 200 comprises a sole 201 having an upper face 205 and a lower face 206, generally rectangular, flat and parallel, the face 205 being turned, when the wiper is mounted on the vehicle, towards the outside while the face 206 is turned towards the vehicle. The sole 201 is provided with a bore 202 with an axis perpendicular to these two faces centered on the axis E. The bore 202, frustoconical in the embodiment described, receives through the opening of larger diameter opening onto the underside 206 a drive shaft, not shown. The drive shaft is advantageously provided with a thread and the sole 201 coupled in rotation with the latter by tightening one or more nuts engaged on this thread. The sole 201 extends on one side in the direction of the brush holder 300 to form a spout 220 capable of being hinged in a removable manner on one end 301 of the brush holder 300.

The brush holder 300 carries at the end opposite to the end 301 a brush of the type known per se and not shown. This brush is, in the case of an integral brush arm, fixedly connected to the brush holder 300.

The broom is fitted with a clean squeegee to be applied to the surface to be wiped. This squeegee is usually carried by a system of lifting beams articulated at the ends of a brush frame.

Referring to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the brush holder 300 has a main section having the shape of an inverted "U", comprising two lateral wings 330a, 330b, connected perpendicularly to a back 320.

The main section is extended in the direction of the head 200 by two legs 340a and 340b which are connected on the internal faces, opposite, of the wings 330a and 330b. The legs 340a and 340b have a lower height than the wings 330a, 330b of the main section. The legs 340a and 340b are flat and parallel to the wings 330a and 330b, and have a lower free edge 341a, 341b respectively aligned with the free edge 331a and 331b of the wings 330a and 330b.

A journal 350 extends between the legs 340a and 340b in the direction of a travel axis A, perpendicular to the plane of the legs 340a, 340b and the axis E, intended to serve as a pivot for the articulation between the head 200 and the brush holder 300.

To this end, the journal 350 is able to be received, in a removable manner, in a groove 230 provided on the spout 220, to form an articulation between the drive head 200 and the brush holder 300.

Referring to Figures 1 and 4, we note that the groove 230 extends perpendicular to the axis E and has a profile having the shape of a "U" lying, open towards the axis E, the branches of which are substantially parallel to the plane of the face 205. The groove 230 opens near the face 205, so that the lower branch of the "U" profile is practically located in the extension of the surface 205.

When the journal 350 is engaged in the groove 230, the brush holder 300 is coupled in rotation with the drive head 200 around the axis E, while remaining free to rotate relative to the drive head 200 around of the axis of travel A.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 1, it can be seen that an elastic system 400 is interposed between the drive head 200 and the brush holder 300, in order to exert a torque around the axis A, in the clockwise in this figure.

This torque is used to press the brush against the surface to be wiped, preferably a rear window of a motor vehicle.

It will be noted on examining Figures 1 and 3 that the drive head 200 further comprises a cap 203, pivotally mounted on the sole 201 around an axis X, parallel to the axis A. The cap 203 covers , in the position of Figure 1, the drive head 200 and the legs 340a and 340b of the brush holder 300, so that the outer surface of the cap 203 is located in the extension of the outer surface of the wings 330a, 330b and back 320.

According to a characteristic of the invention, the elastic system 400 is removably connected to the brush holder 300.

Several alternative embodiments of the elastic system 400 can be envisaged without departing from the scope of the present invention, but it is preferable to use an elastic system 400 comprising a spring 410 working in compression.

Thus, if one of the turns of the spring 410 is defective, the remaining turns continue to exert their effect and the spring 410 loses only a small part of its effectiveness. Furthermore, to avoid any buckling phenomenon, the spring 410 is mounted on a spring guide rod 420.

The spring guide rod 420 essentially has a body 420a of cylindrical shape in section, elongated in the direction of an axis T. The body 420a is connected to one end 421 on a base 425. The opposite end 422 of the body 420a is engaged in an opening 380, preferably cylindrical, provided in the center of a partition 390 secured to the brush holder 300.

The partition 390 is connected perpendicularly to the back 320 of the brush holder 300 and to the wings 330a and 330b, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

The base 425 has, at the junction with the body 420a, a flat face 426, extending perpendicular to the axis T.

The spring 410 engaged on the body 420a bears at its ends 411 and 412 respectively on the face 426 and on a washer 430, interposed between the spring 410 and one face of the partition 390.

Preferably, the end 411 of the spring is attached, by suitable means to the base 425.

The base 425 is articulated on the drive head 200 about an axis B, parallel to the axis of travel A. For this purpose, it is traversed in a direction perpendicular to the axis T by a pin 450 engaged at its ends in a yoke 210 provided on the spout 220.

The detail of the connection between the spring guide rod 420 and the drive head 200 is visible in perspective in Figure 4 and in section in Figure 5, the section plane of which is perpendicular to the axis T contains the axis B.

Note on examining these figures two uprights 210a and 210b extending perpendicular to the axis B to form the yoke 210 receiving the pin 450 and the base 425. The uprights 210a, 210b are connected perpendicularly to the face 205 of sole 201.

So that the elastic system exerts a torque directed clockwise in FIG. 1, in order to press the brush on the surface to be wiped, the axis B must be placed above the axis A, that is that is to say further from the plane of the face 205 than is the axis A. To allow a movement of the spring guide rod 420 around the axis B, counterclockwise with reference to the figure 1, and allow a user to raise the wiper arm in order to clear the surface to be wiped, sufficient space 229 must be provided between the base 425 and the spout 220.

Advantageously, the base 425 and the spout 220 respectively comprise a chamfer 427 and a chamfer 221, substantially parallel to each other when the arm is in its operating position, in accordance with FIG. 1.

The brush holder 300 is capable of being raised by more than 90 ° counterclockwise in FIG. 1 to reach a disengaged position, in order to completely clear the surface to be wiped. The axis B is more distant from the axis E than is the axis A so as to be able to exert a torque tending to maintain the brush holder 300 in its disengaged position.

It will be noted that sufficient space is provided between the free edge of the cap 203 and the end of the back 320 to allow the brush holder 300 to be raised without having to pivot the cap 203 to uncover the drive head 200.

When the brush holder 300 is assembled in the operating position on the drive head 200, as is the case in FIGS. 1 to 6, the spring 410 is compressed and exerts a restoring torque which presses the brush against the surface to be wiped while keeping wedged in the bottom of the groove 230 the journal 350.

To remove the brush holder 300, one begins by releasing the cap 203 by pivoting around the axis X, in the direction of the arrow F with reference to FIG. 3.

Then, the brush holder 300 is raised from its working position where it applies the brush to the surface to be wiped by pivoting about 90 ° around the axis A in the anti-clockwise direction in FIG. 3. Then we release the journal 350 out of the groove 230 by pivoting the brush holder clockwise around a fictitious axis located at the end of the brush holder opposite the end 301. Once the journal 350 released from the groove 230 it suffices to drive the brush holder in an upward translational movement.

During this upward movement, the spring guide rod 420 slides in the opening 380 until it leaves the latter and the brush holder 300 is completely withdrawn. In the case where the end 411 of the spring 410 is not attached to the spring guide rod 420, care must be taken to perform this last operation slowly, so as to prevent the spring 410 from being suddenly released and jumping out rod 420.

To mount a brush holder 300 on a drive head 200 according to the invention, the above operations are carried out in reverse order. We start by engaging the spring guide rod 420 by the end 422 in the opening 380 of the partition 390, brush holder 300 positioned in its raised position, then the spring 410 is compressed in a downward translation movement until it is possible to insert the journal 350 in the groove 230. Then, the brush holder is folded towards the surface to be wiped by pivoting the brush holder around the axis A in the clockwise direction of FIG. 3, making sure that the pin 350 remains engaged in the groove 230.

A wiper arm according to the invention finally appears to allow easy replacement, at low cost, the brush assembly and brush holder 300 without having to dismantle the connection between the drive head 200 and the means of wiper drive.

Claims (7)

1. A windscreen wiper arm (100) comprising a drive head (200) capable of being driven to rotate about a drive axis (E), a wiper blade carrier (300) pivotally mounted on said head (200) about a deflection axis (A) perpendicular to said drive axis (E), the carrier supporting a wiper blade provided with a scraper intended to make contact with a surface to be wiped, a resilient system including a spring interposed between the wiper blade carrier (300) and the drive head (200), intended for pressing the scraper against said surface, the wiper blade carrier (300) being removably connected to the resilient system and to the drive head, the arm being characterized in that the spring (410) operates in compression and is engaged on a spring-guiding rod (420) pivotally mounted on the drive head (200) about a transverse axis (B) parallel to the deflection axis (A), the transverse axis (B) being fixed relative to the drive head.
2. A windscreen wiper arm according to claim 1, characterized in that the resilient system (400) is connected to the drive head in non-removable manner.
3. A windscreen wiper arm according to either claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the spring-guiding rod (420) comprises an elongate cylindrical body (420a), extended at one end (421) by a shoulder (425), the shoulder being pivotally mounted on the drive head (200), the other end (422) of said cylindrical body being engaged in a seating (380) provided on a partition (390) carried on the wiper blade carrier (300), so that one end (411) of the spring (410) bears against a face (426) of the shoulder (425) and the other end (412) bears against a face of the partition (390).
4. A windscreen wiper arm according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the transverse axis (B) is further from the drive axis (E) than is the deflection axis (A).
5. A windscreen wiper arm according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the cross-section of the wiper blade carrier (300) is in the form of an upside-down U including two lateral flanges (330a, 330b) extended at one end (301) towards the drive head (200) by two tabs (340a, 340b) carrying a transverse journal (350) which is suitable for acting as a pivot for the pivotal connection between the wiper blade carrier and the drive head about said deflection axis (A).
6. A windscreen wiper arm according to claim 5, characterized in that the drive head includes a sole plate (201) provided with a bore (202) suitable for receiving a drive shaft, the sole plate being extended towards the wiper blade carrier (300) by a tip (220) including a groove (230) which opens towards the drive axis (E) and which is intended to receive said transverse journal (350).
7. A windscreen wiper arm according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the surface to be wiped is a rear window of a motor vehicle.

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